Includes bibliographical references (pages 261-309) and index.

The study of secularity and the nonreligious -- Secularity around the world -- Secularity through time -- Secularity and society -- How and why people become secular -- Personality, cognition, and family behavior -- Secularity and well-being -- Secular morality and ethics -- Social and political attitudes and values -- Secular social and organizational behavior.

The number of nonreligious people has increased dramatically over the past several decades, yet scholarship on the nonreligious is severely lacking. In response to this critical gap in knowledge, The Nonreligious provides a comprehensive summation and analysis of existing social scientific research on secular people and societies. The authors present a thorough overview of existing knowledge while also drawing upon ongoing research and suggesting ways to improve our understanding of this growing population. Offering a research- and data-based examination of the nonreligious, this book will be an invaluable source of information and a foundation for further scholarship. Written in clear, accessible language that will appeal to students and the increasingly interested general reader, The Nonreligious provides an unbiased and thorough account of relevant existing scholarship within the social sciences that bears on lived experiences of the nonreligious. -- Provided by publisher.